


New Year's

by WeaverOfWorlds



Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Critical Role (Web Series) RPF
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fresh Start, Holidays, New Year's Eve, New Years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 16:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13217646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeaverOfWorlds/pseuds/WeaverOfWorlds
Summary: On both sides of the interdimensional gate; a family says goodbye to the old and hello to the new.





	1. 11:30pm

**Author's Note:**

> Don't expect anything spectacular, I'm just brain-dumping right now.

**Liam:**

 

He could already hear fireworks as he checked on his children. He knew they weren't infants anymore, but he couldn't help himself; they were young and needed their sleep after all. The rooms were all still, gently lit by nightlights as he softly kissed them on their foreheads, smiling softly. The stillness of the room felt like the firm, yet gentle and comforting pressure of one of his children, asleep on his chest.

Returning to the living room, he curled up next to his wife on the couch. As she let the movie they were watching resume, Liam's thoughts strayed to the others, to the friends who had helped make this past year bearable:

He thought of Sam; his wonderful husband. How that man's ridiculous smile had helped pick him up on some pretty dark days.

He thought of Laura; his amazing twinnie. Of how he'd grown so unbelievably close over the last year of their campaign.

He thought of Travis; the man who brought so much joy to everyone around him so effortlessly.

He thought of Taliesin; such an interesting man, one he could never hope to understand. He remembered seeing him grow a surprising amount alongside Percy, and being so proud of him.

He thought of Ashley; the momstah. He hadn't been able to see her much this year, but every moment she was in LA was filled with joy.

He thought of Matthew; their DM and dear, dear friend. Liam was so proud of all Matt had accomplished this year. He truly deserved all his success.

He thought of Marisha; such a great sport, and a woman with unrivalled strength and determination.

 

He thought of how far they'd come together, of how many people they'd inspired, of how many people said their lives had been improved by their game.

His wife gave him a gentle poke, "You okay there. babe?"

Liam laughed and poked her back. "Yeah, just a little lost in thought,"

 

**Vax'ildan**

 

It'd been several months since Vecnafall, since his Queen had come to claim him. From his new home in the Raven Queen's realm, he watched over his family with a bittersweet mixture of happiness and forlorn longing. He felt his raven wings wrap around him involuntarily as that melancholy washed over him; he missed them all so dearly.

He missed his beloved twinnie; missed how she'd be able to haggle with almost anyone and how soft and loving she was under her defensive mask of strength.

He missed Gilmore; glorious Gilmore; missed his dazzling grin, his deep, warm eyes, and his firm, yet comforting, embrace.

He missed Percy; missed how he made Vex laugh, missed his snark, missed his charm.

He missed Grog; missed their friendly competition, their playful war, and his rare moments of deep insight and advice.

He missed Scanlan; that cocky oaf. He missed his genuine smile, his infectious smile, and his bizarre songs.

He missed Pickle; missed her warmth and strength and fierce compassion.

He missed Keyleth, missed her so much. He missed her smile, her eyes, her laugh. Missed the feeling of her strong arms wrapped around him as they embraced. Missed the feeling of her soft lips on his and of their hearts beating as one.

He missed them all, but he knew that the new year would help that ache to heal, and that they would now be safe.


	2. 11:35pm

**Laura**

 

Getting the wine glasses from the cabinet, Laura started humming Auld Lang Syne to herself idly. It'd been a crazy year, she thought, and she was rather glad it was over; while she would be the first to admit that it'd been a really great year in terms of her personal life, the wider picture looked significantly bleaker.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded from her pocket and she pulled out her phone, snapping her out of her morose train of thought. She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen; the timer. 

She grinned and turned off and opened the oven, slipping on the oven mitts and pulling out two trays of chocolate brownies and setting them on the kitchen table to cool as the room began to fill with the delicious scent of warm chocolate. 

Laura gave a contented sigh; even though she knew it was only a temporary thing, in this briefest of moments, everything felt right with the world.

 

 

** Vex'ahlia **

 

In her darkened bedchamber in Castle Whitestone, Vex's eyes drifted open blearily. She'd heard something; a soft whimpering sound she thought. 

"Percy?" She whispered to the sleeping form of her husband curled up next to her, "is that you?"

No response. 

The whimper came again, but now she was awake she could make it out. It was far deeper than anything she'd heard from Percy before and was coming from her other side. 

When she didn't respond to the second whimper, Vex felt a small, wet nose poke her in the side, causing her to turn over and be met with a rather sullen-looking Trinket.

"Oh, buddy... what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" 

The bear gave a small nod, resting his chin on the edge of the mattress and looking up at his mother with big, sad eyes.

Vex felt her heart ache as she looked at her sad bear. "Would you like a cuddle?"

Trinket nodded again, giving another sad whine. 

Vex smiled softly and slid off the bed and onto the floor next to her bear, curling up next to him and holding him close. "It's okay, buddy, I've got you."

 

 


	3. 11:40pm

** Ashley **

 

Ashley was so happy to be home. It'd been a hectic year and she'd missed so much; friend's birthdays, the Critical Role finale, but above all, she'd missed her boyfriend.

She and Brian were cuddled together on the couch, Sully in their laps, watching a movie as they waited for the new year.

It wasn't much, she thought, but just being in her own home, with her sweetheart and her dogs; being surrounded by familiar and comforting sounds, smells and warmth, was honestly all she could have wished for 

She knew that the new year would bring just as much travel and time away from her loved ones, but she wasn't worried about that just now.

She sighed happily and nuzzled closer to Brian, eyes half closed as she let the serenity wash over her. 

Brian noticed and smiled, giving her a little squeeze. "I've missed you, Ash. It's great to have you back."

"It's great to be back, I've missed you too."

 

 

**Pike**

 

It was a rare moment of quiet in the Trickfoot household; Scanlan, Kaylie, and her great-great-grandfather were sound asleep, leaving her in silence as she knelt before her little shrine to Sarenrae. She believed it'd been roughly four months since the fall of Vecna at the hands of her friends, but even now the effects lingered in the very foundations of Esylran society. 

If she was being honest, she doubted the scars would ever truly fade. Just like the attack of the Conclave the year before, a disaster on such a huge scale would take years to recover from.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head, holding her holy symbol firmly in her hands, and reached out to the Everlight.

"Hey, Sarerae, it's me; Pike. I just wanted to thank you for all the help you've given us this year; helping us face the dragons, helping us rebuild Tal'Dorei, helping me spread your light in Vasselheim, helping me bring my friends back from death time and time again. Helping my friends take down Vecna when I couldn't be there to aid them..."

Her prayer trailed off; she still hadn't forgiven herself for that. Even though it had been outside her control, she still felt responsible...

She smiled and shook her head, "Thank you for everything."

The year ahead would doubtless bring hardship, but she knew that whatever might come, she and her family would be okay.


	4. 11:45pm

** Travis **

 

Travis licked chocolate from his fingers and gave a hearty belch. "Jesus Christ those were some nice brownies." he beamed, reaching for another. There were a lot of things in this world that Travis Willingham loved, and his wife's baking was most definitely high on the list, right next to Laura herself.

He looked over at her and saw her shake her head and grin. Stuffing another brownie into his mouth he picked up a second one and held it out towards her, voice muffled through a mouthful of chocolate sponge, "want one?"

She gave a snorting giggle and took it from his hand, eyes shining with laughter.

Travis felt his heart soar, just like he did every time she laughed like that. Even after all these years.

God, he loved his wife.

 

 

~~~~** Grog **

 

Grog was in Vasselheim. With the massive amount of wealth he'd paid his tutor, the Goliath had been provided a place to stay in the Braving Grounds over the course of his tuition. Pike and Scanlan often stayed with him but he'd made the decision to try and be independent for the start of the new year.

He wasn't sure how well it would go but he felt pretty confident. But he was starting to miss the gnomes.

He'd never done well without his gnomes, but after the year he'd been through, he'd begun to realise that he needed to learn to cope without them, as anything could happen that could take them from him without warning... 

He needed to talk to them... 

Grabbing his axe and slinging it over his shoulder, he left his house and clomped off into the night to the skyport to see if he could commandeer a ship to get him to Tal'Dorei.


	5. 11:50pm

** Sam **

 

His kids were sound asleep, and he and his wife were watching Jessica Jones and drinking wine. Sam's year had been nuts; what with directing, the campaign, the state of the world as a whole, it was things like that that made him appreciate what he had a little bit more.

He checked his phone; ten minutes to midnight. It was hard to believe the year was almost over already.

Sam knew the new year would be tough, and that the world would need a little light. And he was determined to help provide that light, even if it was only to his little circle of friends and family.

 

** Scanlan **

 

Awoken by the call of the privy, Scanlan slipped from his and Pike's bed and softly padded through the house. As he passed Kaylie's room, he paused, hearing her gentle snores from within.

It was strange to think that just a year ago, before the whole fiasco with the Chroma Conclave, he hadn't even known she existed, and now she was one of the most precious things in his life.

He vividly remembered finding out that Vox Machina had brought Kaylie to take part in his resurrection ritual, he remembered how betrayed he'd felt, learning they'd told her of his death.

He remembered something in Vex's speech to him that had convinced him to leave with Kaylie and be a better father to her.

He remembered her at his side as they built their criminal empire in Ankh'Harel.

He remembered her anger at him as he told her he had to go back to Vox Machina to deal with the Vecna threat.

He remembered how relieved she'd been when he returned alive.

His stomach gurgled loudly, abruptly snapping him out of his reminiscing. Oh yeah, he needed to shit, didn't he.


	6. 11:55pm

**Taliesin**

 

Unsurprisingly to his friends, or to anyone who knew him probably, Taliesin felt very at ease in the dark. He sat on his couch with a bottle of bourbon, letting his mind wander as the gentle glow of the streetlights outside his home shone in through opened curtains and softly illuminated his face, casting harsh shadows as it did.

He'd done a lot in the past year; so many projects he was proud of, so many trips he'd never forget.

He took a long drink from the bottle gripped loosely in his hand; while he was excited about the new year and all the potential it held, there was still a part of him that couldn't shake the pessimistic thought that things would only get worse.

He shook his head, no, he had to think positively. Starting the year on a negative outlook wouldn't help anyone.

Taliesin took another swig and tightly replaced the lid, placing it on the coffee table and laying back on the couch with his eyes closed. He just had to focus on what he had to look forward to, like the new campaign. 

"Happy new year," he mumbled to himself, "here's hoping we still exist in a year's time..."

 

 

** Percy **

 

A chill blew through the castle, and Percy shivered, instinctively reaching out for Vex. Since becoming Pealor's champion all those months ago, she'd been very warm and very, very nice to cuddle with.

However, his outstretched hand didn't find her, and he immediately snapped back to consciousness and sat up, looking around in panic.

He couldn't see anything. Unlike his wife, he didn't have darkvision and was blind in the dark.

"Vex?" His voice was a strangled whisper, choked with fear and the lingering effects of sleep. "Vex, are you here?"

From somewhere in the darkness, presumably beside the bed, he heard a gentle grumble that sounded distinctly ursine. Trinket.

He crawled across the bed and felt around blindly for his wife or her bear.

Suddenly, he felt a large pair of jaws gently clamp down on his wrist, guiding him until he felt Vex's hair under his fingers.

Percy smiled, "Hey, buddy. D'you mind if I join the two of you down there?"

He heard the bear give a soft sound of agreement and he gingerly slipped from the bed and curled up in the mound of fur and warmth of his wife and her bear, quickly falling asleep with a serene smile on his face.


	7. Midnight

**Marisha**

 

She and Matt had tried to stay awake to see in the new year together, but now she was the only one in the house awake. Marisha smiled sweetly as she stroked Matt's hair, looking down at him as he rested his head against her, snoring softly with a peaceful smile as he lay across her lap. 

As the new Geek and Sundry creative director, she'd had a really busy year of organising and greenlighting shows, hiring and red tape. And that was on top of the final arc of their five-year campaign and getting married. 

In short; she was tired.

The sound of fireworks from outside suddenly swelled, and Marisha glanced up at the clock on the wall.

Midnight.

She chuckled under her breath and leant down, softly kissing her husband on the temple,

"Happy New Year, babe."

 

**Keyleth**

 

Keyleth was sitting in the centre of Zephra, with her back against Vax's tree, gazing up at the starry sky.

Through it, she could feel the essence of Exandria, of every plant and animal in their world. 

She felt the essence dwindle slightly, felt it weaken, but she wasn't afraid, she'd felt this countless times over the course of her life; as each year came to a close.

No sooner had the world started to dwindle, did Keyleth feel it swell with new life and energy. She felt Exandria's heart beat stronger than ever, determined and resolute to keep existing no matter what the Gods deigned to throw at it. She felt it breathe, felt it renew, felt it restart.

To her, Exandria felt like a living, breathing person, and as each new year dawned, she always took comfort in feeling it begin.

"Happy New Year, Exandria... it's nice to meet you again."


End file.
